ioux singing is characterized by its penetrating, high-pitched vocals—so it’s not surprising that as composerHarry Bulow studied the lyrics of a Sioux Ghost Dancesong in the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture,he chose to replace that vocal with horns. Bulow, professorand head of the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visualand Performing Arts and chair of the Division of Music, isone of two faculty members who are working on projectsexploring how contemporary life is influenced by NativeAmerican art and culture.

Dawn Marsh, associate professor of history, is studying
textiles produced by indigenous people of the southwest
U.S. and central Mexico—specifically the knowledge of
Navajo weavers in the U.S. and Zapotec and Mixtec weavers
in Mexico from 1300–1900.

“One of my most fundamental tasks as an educator
is to dismantle stereotypes and misinformation about
indigenous culture and history,” says Marsh. She notes,
for instance, that many believe that during the Columbian
Exchange, the commingling of Old and New World plants,
animals, and bacteria after 1492, Europeans transformed
the “new world” by teaching people in the Southwest or
Oaxaca, Mexico, how to weave.

This narrative is inaccurate, Marsh explains. WhenSpanish priests arrived in the Oaxacan Valley, indigenoustextiles were presented to them as gifts. Yet it is frequentlyrepeated that Spanish priests “taught” the Zapotecs andMixtecs how to weave. Instead, the type of loom, along withthe raw materials and design patterns used by Oaxacanweavers, provide Marsh with insight into the time, place,and community that prompted such art. This has led Marshto new understanding of “global connectivity and howsignificant indigenous people are to the transmission ofthose ideas.”Bulow also observed the lasting influence of NativeAmerican art in a community during a recent visit toRapid City, SD. In this location, explains Bulow, “Thereare Hispanic elements, Lakota, Sioux, and all kindsof European influences—and there is a great deal ofinteraction and joy.”This diversity prompted Bulow to represent the citymusically through a blend of tradition and innovation.He studied the Lakota language and transcribed NativeAmerican music, focusing on Sioux phrases from singerWilliam Horncloud and his rendition of the Sioux NationalAnthem. His research and efforts evolved into Rapid CityOverture, slated for performance by Purdue Bands in thefall of 2015.

“One of the things I noticed in the sound of all
Native American singing is that male voices have a
certain timbre—a pain to the voice,” says Bulow. Other